Anwar Ibrahim shares a light moment with Donald Trump, joining him in The Beast before the KL Peace Accords
KUALA LUMPUR: It was diplomacy with a dash of humour as United States President Donald Trump invited Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to join him in his presidential limousine, The Beast, upon arriving in Kuala Lumpur for the signing of the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords earlier today.
The unexpected gesture set a lighter tone for a day otherwise defined by historic diplomacy.
Recalling the encounter, Anwar quipped during his remarks at the ceremony that the US president had asked him to “break the rules” by joining him for the short ride – an invitation the Malaysian leader gladly accepted.
“And to achieve that, sometimes you have to break some rules — as you did today,” Anwar said.
“When the President arrived, he asked me to ‘break the rules’, and it was a nice ride. We shared many things in common.
“I was in prison, and he almost got there – but we exchanged good conversations on a number of issues.”
It’s an exceptionally rare privilege for any foreign leader – even a host nation’s prime minister – to ride inside The Beast with the US president, given the stringent security protocols and clearance requirements of the Secret Service.
